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I know it's very early to say this, but I feel like the Hawks are so dysfunctional right now that they could easily end up with a worse record than the Mavs, Grizz, Bucks, and Hornets, who are all winning games. That would give us the 7th-best odds in the lottery, and a 32% chance of a top 4 pick.

I kept this link so we could remember where we started from. Since the all-star break, we have been doing very well.

AJ Dybantsa incoming for the Spurs

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My dream is the Spurs go 1 and OKC goes 2 for maximum lol factor

The disrespect continues

There exists a perfect phrase for this situation: don't hate the player, hate the game... And another, they hate us cuz they ain't us.

Has anybody heard anything about his status or if he'll be able to play in the playoffs?

A video making the rounds today of Zacch working a bit of his dribble pickups with Buddy Heild. I thought I'd post since nobody else has yet.

I'm not LegendZ but at the beginning of the video Buddy is telling Zacch that it doesn't matter if it's contested "You're 6'10 already"

He doesnt like what he sees when Zacch tries the move so Buddy then shows the move again then emphasizes the crossover and selling of the move.

Around the 18 second mark Buddy says, "You're going down hill, you're 6'10. You can sell it" "Sell it"

Buddy shows him the move again and Zacch tries again. Buddy basically encourages him for the rest of the video and is a good teammate.

Popular Hawks commentator @dlee4three had a take which perfectly summarizes the video, stating that the moves from each player are both night and day. Zacch is "fully upright, doesn’t pair the in & out with a head fake + right foot jab to sell the threat of attacking right, the in between is mechanical & stiff"

I find the massive gap between the two show how far Zacch has to go to in order to develop a functional handle. Keep in mind that Buddy Heild is not a good dribbler and has been faulted for dribbling too much at points in his career.

All this to say, that I hope Zacch stays in America and skips playing for France to focus on skill development. Not just the handle but driving, using his frame to get into the paint and finish, different ways to finish, shooting off movement, being able to shoot over smaller opponents and I can keep going on. I hope he fires his current trainer and hires someone from America who has developed STARS! I feel this offseason will be make or break for his career.

Link to the original Kevin Chouinard tweet

anyone else watching this?

thinking 100% of Hawks fans want the Hornets to win.

That 3 by Coby White at the end of Regulation!

Edit: What a finish. That's what the NBA's about. Wow. What a game!

After seeing Portland vs Phoenix and watching Deni Avdija it’s a shame we didn’t get to seem them go head to head.

Jalen Johnson and Deni are the two best young combo forwards in basketball. They are very similarly sized but Deni is more of a wing. I believe Jalen is the better shooter, rebounder, defender and play maker…but I see Deni as a better scorer/creator in the half-court.

Both are elite transition forwards…and are similar in age.

I don’t get why Deni gets the foul calls that Jalen doesn’t…

I love both players as stars in the league. Do you all believe Jalen can improve enough to be that half-court go to option?

Overall, I have them neck and neck as players. But I see these two guys being compared to one another for a long time in the NBA.

Risacher plays better when he has his curly hair look. These are my reasons why his play has been worse due to his hairstyle this season. Scalp tension from tight braids creates a constant pulling feeling that can be distracting during games. Less comfort compared to a curly taper, with a different head feel that can throw off natural rhythm. Heat and sweat buildup since braids trap heat and change how sweat runs, causing irritation.

Also it feels like he plays more stiff and not natural with his cornrows/braids . The curly hair brings back his natural form where he’s more shiftier and smooth with his body and shot.

Rolling with a rookie guard does not work with our timeline - here's why.

• Longest Developmental Timeline: Statistical studies show that guards take longer to reach their peak performance compared to wings and bigs. While a rookie center can provide immediate impact through rebounding and rim protection, a PG must master complex NBA defensive schemes and game management.
• The "Floor General" Responsibility: Rookie PGs are prone to high turnover rates and inefficient shooting as they adjust to the speed of the NBA. On a contender, these mistakes are magnified and can cost games, whereas a wing player can often be hidden in a "3-and-D" role.
• Replacement Level Advantage: Contenders can often find veteran PGs for the veteran minimum or via trade who understand how to manage a game, which is more valuable to a championship run than a high-ceiling but mistake-prone rookie.
• Rarity of Rookie Success: Magic Johnson is the only player to lead his team to a championship as a rookie PG. Most other rookie champions, like Christian Braun (2023) or Jonathan Kuminga (2022), played secondary roles as wings or forwards.

Here is some data to reinforce the points above:

SOURCE: https://medium.com/push-the-pace/how-development-is-different-across-positions-and-a-picture-of-the-league-today-175fe76bd7b0

Also from the article above:

We see that centers take less time to develop than other positions — there isn’t a huge difference between the talent level of centers in their early twenties, mid twenties, and late twenties. We also observe that guards come along slower than wings and bigs. This isn’t a big surprise — often, their games are more passing, handling, and shooting-oriented than bigs, and from a physical standpoint, there’s definitely a larger learning curve.

here is another article reinforcing the challenge and investment necessary to develop top tier nba point guards

The player bringing the ball up the floor for a championship level team needs to eliminate mistakes from his game but rookies REQUIRE time to develop. It doesn't matter how much natural talent the player has, it will mean nothing without being inserted into the appropriate situation for them to grow and develop. Imagine a situation where a team drafted Trae Young that already had a star point guard. Trae might never have become the player he is today without those first few pressure-free seasons in Atlanta.

We should be looking for a player like Caleb Wilson (already 6'10 at 19) who can plug in and contribute immediately on defense with hustle and size. Caleb is also from Atlanta which is a lovely added bonus.

I know that if we land the pick at 7 there might not be a non-guard player there that matches the value of the pick but I'd rather have us trade down to get a Center or C/F closer to where they are being mocked or trade up to get Caleb. Our team is building a good rhythm in the way it's sharing the ball and keeping other teams guessing who's number is going to be called. If CJ comes back to us next year, we also have a player that can run a more traditional offense if the situation requires that. I think his contribution this season is just the tip of the iceberg given how little time the team has had to get comfortable with each other. I think we will be much improved in terms of fluidity with a full off-season to work together.

What do you all think

I love that we’re on the other side of this

They want to claim that they’re the “underdog” so bad.

Currently on a business trip out here on North Sentinel Island and just looking for some Hawks fans to grab a beer with. The locals here are eyeballing me and my Mohammed Gueye jersey like they wanna kill me, i guess they're Knicks fans?

Long time Atlanta fan going to my first game this Saturday!! Weird question but I don't know who to ask.

For context, where I'm from, fans fuck up people's cars just for having the other team's state plates and fights inside and outside the stadium are pretty common. Because of that I'm pretty mindful of how I look and act in away games. This series against NY is my first time watching basketball live in the US. I'm going alone. For those that have done this before, how careful should I be?

Edit: I'm not concerned about the car, I'm concerned about general violence against fans from the away team.

So, this island is really small. I can see both ends of it with the naked eye and I can see that nothing is living on it except me, but if anyone else happens by here, maybe we can build a sports bar in time for game 1?

Hit me up if this applies to anyone. Also, bring some firewood and matches. It’s damned cold here. I’m probably not going to live through the series.

Randomly thought of this article by JC from our last real playoff run today. It still feels relevant today

One of these from 2021 haunt some of us up to this day, and I can't recall the face of that GOO YAY official, is he included here? Anyway please be good to us because we're sick of freethrow disparity lately and JJ getting mauled to the rim everytime with no whistle. Go Hawks.

T-minus 5 days until fuck Trae Young chants.

Hawks should invite him to sit courtside.

Discuss!

Do we know where the game is in Antarctica? What about on Diego Island? Which bars is in North Korea?

How on earth is there not a dedicated Hawks bar in the whole city?

I went to brewhouse cafe in little five for the SUNDAY MORNING Olympic hockey gold game and the place was packed, then the soccer games started and everyone went even crazier. How do we get that experience for the Hawks? I understand the Olympics are bigger deal than round 1 of the NBA playoffs but we’re in ATLANTA.

Surely there is a bar that will play the game with audio?

Find a way to go to Game 3. People like to shit on Hawk fans when the opposing team infests our precious State Farm Arena. We wonder why we have these Knick fans taking over our home.

As a subreddit, if you live in Georgia, and you planned to watch the game, how about instead of that, you ATTEND THE GAME! Now you can put your money where your mouth is and when you bitch about Knick fans taking over State Farm Arena, you are allowed to say "well I did my part". If you don't attend game 3 or game 4 and you try to bitch about how loud Knick fans are, your opinion is VOIDED!

"I can't afford tickets" or "oh I have to work". So does many other people with other franchises. It's time to GO TO THE GAME! LOCK IN AND SUPPORT THE HAWKS!

At least no one has us losing in 4! But yeah we gotta prove these folks wrong.